In the Sándor Palace, the heroes are the rescuers

Members of the Hungarian search and rescue teams participating in the assistance following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria were greeted by President Katalin Novák in a ceremonial setting at the Sándor Palace on Tuesday.

The Hungarian participants of the rescue work were greeted in the Sándor Palace

President of the Republic Katalin Novák (front center) with members of the Hungarian search and rescue teams participating in the assistance following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria in the Sándor Palace on February 14, 2023.

The head of state - after those present remembered the victims of the earthquake with a one-minute silence - expressed his gratitude and thanked those involved in the rescue on behalf of all Hungarians. “You are our heroes. You, the women and men who were there and helped after the tragedy, who turned night into day and saved lives without rest," said Katalin Novák.

He recalled: when people learned about the earthquake a week ago, no one thought that the disaster would take so many victims. Hungary was among the first applicants when Turkey asked for help from the international community, said the President of the Republic, adding:

"we Hungarians said that we can and want to help", and this is primarily due to the Hungarian rescue teams.

Katalin Novák emphasized that it is good to say that you can count on Hungary and the Hungarian people when there is a problem. We can be proud that the Hungarians fought from the first moment after the tragedy to save lives, he added.

The head of state also said: "Even in the midst of tragedy, it is good to experience those qualified moments when all Hungarian hearts beat together." It is good to experience the fact that in such cases division does not come to the fore, but that we all "pray and support together" so that the members of the rescue teams return home safely, said Katalin Novák, and then continued: it was also good to experience that the Hungarians were able to help in a meaningful way.

Gülsen Karanis Eksioglu, the ambassador of Turkey in Budapest, thanked the members of the rescue teams on behalf of his country. He stated: February 6, the day of the earthquake, will henceforth be a very important day in the history of the Turkish-Hungarian brotherhood.

Hungary has once again shown that it can be counted on in difficult times, said the ambassador.

He recalled that 167 Hungarian volunteers with 22 search dogs participated in the rescue and saved 35 lives: "They gave hope back to thirty-five families, they brought a miracle."

Gülsen Karanis Eksioglu said that the tragedy has so far resulted in 30,000 dead and more than 80,000 injured.

The ambassador emphasized that Turkey will cope with the difficulty and will make the region affected by the earthquake flourish.

At the ceremony, the Hungarian units participating in the rescue - the HUNOR rescue team of the National Disaster Management Directorate, the rescue dog and volunteer search and rescue team of the Hungarian Reformed Charity, the units of the Életjel rescue team, the Pest County Search and Rescue Service team, the Huba Rescue 24 rescue team of the Baptist Charity Service, the Representatives of the Budapest Rescue Organization, the Hungarian Defense Forces and the Anti-Terrorism Center received a thank-you card from the president.

In recognition of the work of the search dogs, one of the animals injured during the rescue, named Gogó, received a collar tag with the inscription "Heroes".

Source: Magyar Hírlap

Featured image: MN/István Mirkó